The Little Things
by Heero de Fanel
Summary: The fabric of life is woven with many threads, and while some may be shorter than others, that doesn't make them any less meaningful or important. Five small looks at how Class VII touched each other's lives during that first year at Thors.


**The Little Things**

AN: Five quick (600-ish words apiece) looks at Class VII interaction that we never got to see on-screen, minus Rean this time; as Class VII's focal point we get to see his relationships with them **a lot**, so I wanted to try something different. Truth be told, I probably could have split these up into five Snapshot entries but seeing as how they were all written at the same time, I figured it'd be better to keep 'em together!

* * *

_Thors Military Academy, Art Room_

"Gaius."

The Nord boy looked up from his easel and greeted the new arrival with a nod and a smile, carefully setting down the brush next to his palette as he gave his guest his full attention.

"Machias. Well, isn't this a surprise. Normally you're playing games at the Chess Club right now, aren't you?"

"Normally yes," he answered, shuffling in place uncomfortably while his eyes flicked around the otherwise empty room. "But I asked Stefan if I could bow out early for today. I… have to speak with you about something, you see."

This got Gaius' attention, to say the least.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, a concerned expression replacing his relaxed countenance in an instant. "If there's anything you need my help with, then – "

"N-No!" Machias hastily replied, shaking his head. "I appreciate the sentiment, but that's not it. I came here to… I have to say…"

His words trailed off into nothing and a curious Gaius simply watched quietly, more than content to give the other boy the time he needed.

"I'm here to apologize," he finally said, shoulders stiff with tension but his gaze unwavering and firm. "It's overdue, I know."

… All right, that wasn't what he had expected.

"Apologize?" Gaius repeated, barely repressing a friendly chuckle. "For what, Machias? Have you offended me in some way that I'm not aware of?"

"That's entirely possible," he said, his lips turning upwards slightly, "but that's not what I'm referring to. I haven't forgotten that you and the others had to put up with far more strife than what was acceptable during our first field study, and through no fault of your own your grade suffered for it. We were supposed to be a team, and instead you, Fie, and Emma had to play babysitters while Jusis and I bickered. That was inexcusable."

Gaius' eyes softened.

"I'm sorry, Gaius. My behavior was shameful."

The other boy remained silent for a moment, and Machias held his breath, remembering just how badly he and Albarea had bungled that first disastrous outing…

"Forgiven."

"I fully understand if you – wait, _what?_"

"Forgiven," Gaius repeated, looking for all the world like he was trying very hard not to grin at his baffled friend. "I won't say that experience wasn't tiring and exasperating at times, because it very much was. That said, you've acknowledged your role in what happened and you've clearly made strides in trying to better yourself, so wouldn't it be just as shameful of me to hold any kind of grudge if you're apologizing and you mean it?"

Machias' jaw worked ineffectually, the boy seemingly at a loss for words, and he could only stand and stare as Gaius began to clean up his work area, methodically packing away all his supplies with an ease borne of practice.

"… Thank you," he heard, and this time Gaius couldn't keep his lips from turning upwards. While he had no idea what happened on their last field study to create this welcome shift in the wind, he'd been told more than once that the Goddess sometimes worked in mysterious ways. This was proof positive, if nothing else.

"There's really nothing to thank me for," he said with a laugh, closing his satchel and standing up. "Though if you have more you'd like to get off your chest, I'm always willing to listen. Kirche's is a good spot for conversation, or so I hear."

"Hmm. You know, I think I'll take you up on that. They have first-rate coffee, and it would be a shame to turn down an opportunity for a cup," Machias answered back, a smile of his own forming all the while. "I'll buy, of course."

"If you insist," Gaius conceded, standing up and gesturing toward the door. "Lead the way, Machias."

"Certainly."

* * *

_Thors Military Academy, Gymnasium_

Laura watched and waited as her opponent tried to rouse himself, every breath he took appearing labored and pained, and she was nothing if not sympathetic; after all, she of all people knew exactly how arduous training could be.

Still, no battle was over until it was truly over, and thus her eyes never left Jusis as he slowly tried to rise to his feet, his right arm trembling as he tried to maintain the grip on his sword…

And when he sank back down to the mat with a groan, the hilt slipping out of his grasp when his fingers slackened, she knew that she had won.

"… I concede."

She nodded once in acknowledgement, sheathing her blade in its holster and walking over to her vanquished sparring partner. "Well fought, Jusis. That was certainly a valiant effort, one truly worthy of House Albarea."

He snorted, shaking his head in resignation.

"Hmph. Thank you for the kind words, but there's no need to spare my feelings. That was a comprehensive defeat through and through and we both know it."

Laura frowned at that, her features scrunching in disapproval of his merciless self-assessment. "Not in the least. You held me off admirably at the beginning of the bout, and even after I took the advantage you were still able to defend yourself adequately. That's an impressive feat, especially considering the differences between our styles. You mentioned before that court fencing was a discipline that prioritized balance of form above pure combat efficacy, correct?"

Jusis nodded, looking a little surprised that she had remembered. "That's right. Its development originally came from nobles recognizing that they had to be able to defend themselves if the need arose while also understanding that they would never have the time to undergo the hardship of mastering a sword school such as your own. It focuses on refining pure fundamentals and footwork along with techniques to ensure the swordsman isn't left helpless at range."

She nodded intently. "In other words, it possesses a relatively simple base and its skill set leaves no weaknesses for an enemy to prey on. Truly a martial art meant to produce jacks of all trades."

"The less generous might be inclined to substitute masters of none," Jusis quipped, shaking his head at the sheepish expression on her face. "Don't worry, I'm certainly not offended. It is what it is; against a fighter of your caliber, I fully understood my skills weren't likely to hold up. Even so…"

Laura blinked. "Even so…?"

"I can't leave it at that. I have to improve. I have to get stronger. I have to be ready to wield this blade to the best of my ability in defense of the Empire and my people. But before I can do that, I needed to learn and understand the difference between a warrior whose weapon is an extension of their arm and a noble for whom swordsmanship was merely one of many ways to pass the time."

His words came out slowly, but Jusis' eyes were shining brightly as she had ever seen them, lit as they were by her friend's unwavering pride.

"You have my gratitude for today, Laura S. Arseid."

"There's none needed, Jusis Albarea. As a fellow scion of a respected house, the same responsibility falls to me as well, and any kind of training I receive here can only assist me on my own journey. Should you be willing, I would be more than happy to help you with yours. That's the spirit of noblesse oblige, correct?"

She reached down, her hand extended to help him up, and she smiled when he nodded and reached back, because she knew that he understood.

* * *

_Thors Military Academy, Library_

"Whew! Finally finished," Elliot declared with a tired groan, causing Emma to chuckle quietly from across the table. "Is it just me, or do these reports get longer and longer with each field study?"

"It's certainly not just you," she noted, flipping through the bound sheaf of papers and doing one last cursory scan for any mistakes. "With every excursion we go on, the questions we're being asked to answer and the scenarios we're supposed to test get increasingly complicated. I remember the first one we submitted was a lot more straightforward…"

"I remember that one too," Elliot said, shaking his head at the memory of times gone by. "Doesn't even feel that long ago either, but here we are. I wonder why that one was so much easier?"

She raised a slim finger to her lips, pondering. "I've thought about it myself, actually. My main guess is that they were trying to ascertain whether or not our staves were working as well with our abilities as they were meant to; without establishing that as a baseline for the later tests, the findings we submit wouldn't mean nearly as much."

He nodded. "Makes sense to me! It's a little surprising how on-point these designs are though," he continued, shaking his head in astonishment. "I always felt I'd be more suited to supporting instead of attacking when I first got to Thors, but this staff works so well with me it really drove the point home! Healing's definitely a breeze for me now."

"And we're all glad to hear it, believe me," Emma said, her eyes crinkling behind her glasses as she smiled. "I suppose it's the same for myself as well. As a ranged offensive specialist, the staff really – "

_" – serves as an excellent conductor and amplifier for my mana, letting me channel and cast far more efficiently than with the ARCUS alone. Why, I think even Grandmother and the other elders would be impressed by – "_

" – helps me out with my arts!" she finished with a nervous smile, trying her hardest to corral her runaway train of thought. "I-I definitely think that I'd have a more difficult time without it."

Elliot blinked, looking a little concerned at her slip.

"Emma? Everything all right?"

"Y-Yes! Everything's fine," she lied shamelessly, fighting down the familiar guilt that always curled up in her stomach like a block of ice when she did. "Maybe writing this took a little bit more out of me than I thought. Like you said, they've been getting more and more complicated to do."

After a moment that felt far longer to Emma than it actually was, Elliot nodded his head and gave her an understanding smile as he slipped his report into his bag. "Yeah, you looked like you were working pretty hard there. Maybe you should try to turn in early tonight and get some sleep?"

"That sounds like a good idea! I think I'll do just that," Emma said, discreetly exhaling in relief as Elliot slipped his satchel onto his shoulder and stood up to go.

"Good plan! Oh, and Emma?"

"Yes?"

"If there's anything I – or anyone – can do to help you out or something, then let us know, okay? You do a lot for us as class president, and you should know we'd all be there in a heartbeat to return the favor!"

"I do know," she answered, her eyes going soft. "Thanks, Elliot. Really."

"Anytime," he said warmly, raising a hand in farewell as he turned to leave. "Same time next month, staff buddy?"

"Hehe. I look forward to it."

* * *

_Thors Military Academy, Student Union, Cafeteria_

He'd probably sensed her before she said a word, but then again who ever really knew with him?

"Crow," Fie greeted, snickering a little at the sight of the slumped over second year, his head buried in his arms and looking like he was dead to the world. "There you are."

"Urgh… Crow's not here right now, but feel free to leave a message. Unless you're Loggins here to finally give me my money, in which case just leave it on the table. Took you long enough, you deadbeat…"

Fie raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I'm guessing there's a story there, but I can leave it for another time. And should you all of people really be calling someone else a deadbeat?"

"Normally I'd say no," Crow groaned, looking up from his interrupted nap to blearily stare at Fie, "but this is a debt of honor between fellow second-years. It's really not cool to welch on a bet, y'know."

"Eh, depends. Was it on the up and up to start with?"

He threw himself back like he had been shot, his hand dramatically alighting on his heart. "You wound me! Of course it was, who in this fine establishment would say otherwise?"

"Rean, and _really?_" she replied with a tiny smirk.

Crow smirked back, the offended expression on his face vanishing as quickly as it had come. "Nah, not really. Still, it's a matter of principle when you're dealing with someone in your year."

"If you say so, though I'm pretty sure he'd say otherwise."

"Whatever, I'll collect eventually. If worse comes to worse I'll sic Friedel on him. Anyways, what's up? Sounds like you wanted to talk to me about something."

"I do, actually."

"Gotcha. Not homework related, is it?"

A scoff. "You think I'd be **here** if it was?"

"Ouch," he said with a mock wince. "I mean, good play, but ouch."

"You reap what you sow," Fie answered, shrugging. "Getting back to what I'm here for, it's like this; Instructor Heinrich – "

"Annnnnnnnd I hate where this is going already."

"Join the club. Long story short, I got reamed out for napping again, and what really sucks is that I'm pretty sure he's figured out where all my preferred locations are."

"Wouldn't be surprised. As much as I hate to give him anything remotely resembling props, I gotta admit he has a real knack for finding what gives students joy and then taking it away," Crow agreed with an irritated grimace. "What I wouldn't give for that dude to find an actual hobby."

"You and me both. So. I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me out and share some of your prized nap spots?"

Crow took a deep breath and shook his head slowly, a solemn air about him now. "You're asking a lot, short-stuff. On the one hand, some of these places took me a while to find; I'd damn near call them sanctuaries now. I mean, we're talking rarefied air here. On the other hand…"

Fie tilted her head.

"Well, I look at it this way," he said, flashing her a mischievous grin, "I'm not gonna be here next year and I'm not about to let them go unslept in. That'd just be _wrong._ Plus imagining Instructor Heinrich freaking out when he thinks he knows everything and still can't find you is getting me all giddy, so I'm ready to get this show on the road when you are! Just… keep your eyes and ears open."

"Got it. Watching for teachers?"

"Teachers and Loggins. Nothing wrong with killing two birds with one stone if you can help it, right?"

* * *

_Thors Military Academy, Archery Range_

"Hiya Alisa!" a high pitched voice exclaimed, and Alisa looked up and smiled at Class VII's newest addition, floating above the range with Airgetlam in tow.

"Hey there, Millium!" she greeted, setting down her orbal bow and gesturing for her to come down. "What brings you out here?"

"Oh y'know," she said, hopping off her combat shell and waving as it disappeared into nothing (and if Millium noticed how Alisa's eyes gleamed at that, she didn't say anything). "Got bored and stuff. Didn't wanna stay cooped up too long, so I called Lammy and yelled 'away we go!' Then I ended up here."

Yep, that sounded like Millium.

"I see," she laughed, the smaller girl's exuberance clearly rubbing off. "Are you gonna hang around here for a while, or will Lammy be taking you somewhere else?"

Millium crossed her arms, thinking. "Hmm… I dunno! Haven't had a think on it yet. Is it cool if I stay while I do?"

"Of course! Actually, you have some pretty good timing; I've got a couple of questions I'd like to ask about Lammy, if that's okay."

"Sure!" Millium chirped. "Dunno if I'll be able to answer too many of 'em, but I'll try my best."

"Great! So, do you know what powers him?"

"Uh, well – "

"Does he ever run out?"

"Nope, haven't seen it happen yet – "

"Oh, how far can you call him from? Is there like a maximum distance, or can he appear where you are no matter what?"

"U-Usually I – "

"And Rean said that his armor can really take a beating, do you know what it's made from, or – "

"Okay, okay, slow down!" Millium exclaimed, holding up both hands and grinning when Alisa stopped in her tracks and looked at her feet sheepishly. "What happened to a couple?"

"Uh… sorry," she apologized, her hand going to the back of her head in embarrassment. "It's just I get a little excited whenever I run into new tech, and Lammy's as new to me as they come."

"Aw, no worries! I keep forgetting you're into that kinda stuff."

"Y-Yeah," Alisa mumbled, a bit worried she might have overstepped some bounds in her eagerness to learn something new. "I know it might seem a little weird, but…"

Millium shook her head furiously. "It's not weird at all! I think it's super cool!" she exclaimed, punching her fist into her palm for emphasis. "I wish more people would be like you and ask tons of questions about him instead of just being afraid. That way I could call him out in Trista more!"

"I'm not sure if that'd be a good idea even if they weren't scared," she said delicately, a little amused at Millium's pout. "But thanks. It means a lot."

"You're welcome! I don't think I'm gonna be able to answer your questions though – I actually don't know most of that info, and even if I did I dunno what'd I'd be allowed to tell you. Sorry," Millium told her, looking a little unhappy that she couldn't help.

"Oh well. Worth a shot, I guess," Alisa said, shrugging in acceptance.

"Hmm… oh! You know what I _can_ do?! Hey, Lammy, come on back!" and Alisa could only gape when Airgetlam warped into existence in front of them, an excited Millium hopping onto one arm while the other one reached out to Alisa, beckoning her.

"I can't tell you any of the juicy bits, but I can definitely take you for a ride! Hop on and hang on, okay?"

There were a hundred and one reasons to say no, but that didn't stop a smiling Alisa from clambering aboard without a second thought, her peals of laughter ringing happily in the afternoon breeze.

Practice could wait. There was fun to be had.


End file.
